Smart Guesses
by Rosella Burgundy
Summary: Draco's been pining over Hermione. Theo knows that he needs a little push...some chocolate pudding and Luna Lovegood might be just what he needs. A gift fic for I Was BOTWP.


NOTES: For I_was_BOTWP.

This fun little drabble is dedicated to a woman that is, simply put, amazing.  
I_was_BOTWP, you gave me some con-crit on an unpublished bit of fanfiction. Your words and advice inspired me so much that I turned that little bit into a huge intricate plot. It was just a little thing, but to me, it meant the world.  
It's always the little things that make the difference. Thank you for what you do for the fandom, for being an awesome, welcoming admin for many Facebook groups, and for being a wonderful woman. I hope you like this small drabble. It's really nothing compared to everything you do for all of us.

Also, many thanks and endless Love to RooOJoy and HeartOfAspen for their alpha/beta help with this story. Needless to say, JK owns HP.

* * *

**Smart Guesses**

_Let us put men and women together_

_See which one is smarter_

_Some say men, but I say no_

_The women got the men like a puppet show._

__Grateful Dead__

Draco stretched his back before pushing open the massive doors that led to the Great Hall. As he suspected, the few Slytherin students brave enough to rise that early on a Saturday morning greeted him with cheers and crowing. Stomping across the hall toward the Slytherin table, his head pounded with every footfall, while his hand rose to quiet his housemates. He was too exhausted for this. His Quidditch gear brushed the bench while he contemplated swinging his broom at one of the noisiest first years, but in the end, he opted to leave his stick to rest comfortably on his shoulder.

Theo sat at the furthest end, away from the screeching fans, and gave him a little smirk when Draco slumped down next to him.

"Ready to annihilate Gryffindor?" Theo asked while chewing a piece of pumpkin muffin, crumbs falling from his moving lips.

Draco made a face and nodded with a grunt.

Raising an inquisitorial eyebrow at Draco's appearance, Nott picked up his goblet and gulped down a sip of what looked like orange juice before he asked, "Late night at the Hufflepuff party? Or have you been brooding in bed without taking any shuteye again?"

Draco grabbed a chocolate chip biscuit and poured himself a cup of hot chocolate. Again, he gave Theo an irritated mumble. Since the beginning of his eighth school year, he hadn't been sleeping well, his nights filled with thoughts and dreams that would never come true for him.

With a stretch and a yawn, Theo straightened himself on the bench. "Anyway, I would not have seen you at the party, I left right away." With a hint of mischief in his eyes, he announced, "I made a move on Lovegood last night..."

Draco swallowed a bite of his biscuit and scoffed. "You're up early… I assume it didn't go well."

Tilting his head, Theo exposed the portion of his neck that had been concealed by his robes. Draco gave an impressed nod at the sight of a trail of deep purple love bites.

"I'm only up this early because Granger and I have some research to do for Arithmancy this morning." He leaned sideways on his elbow and grinned, inching closer to Draco. "I'll make sure to return her to you before the match so she can give you a good luck snog…"

Draco inhaled sharply, sending a chocolate chip shooting right down his windpipe, and almost choking him. When he stopped coughing, he quipped, "You're barmy, mate."

Theo hummed, grabbing another muffin from the overfilled basket before him. His words were chanting and mocking when he retorted, "And you're not as smart as you think you are…"

Discarding the rest of the murderous biscuit, Draco rolled his eyes at Theo, lips curling in distaste for his mate's words. "I know I'm smarter than you."

"I know you are not smarter than Granger." Theo teased him.

Puffing his chest, Draco snorted. "I'm smarter than Granger and all the female population at Hogwarts. If I wanted to have a secret relationship with a Muggleborn, nobody would know about it, trust me." He angrily took a bite from one of the scones that had just appeared on the table.

Theo's mouth twitched before his head bent back, letting out a breathy laugh. "Oh, Draco," he whispered once he had quieted his mirth. "Let me tell you something: women outsmart men in everything they do."

It was Draco's turn to laugh until his belly hurt, but he also shot a nervous glance to the other side of the Hall, where Granger was having breakfast with Potter and the two gingers.

Theo canted his head, shifting his whole body to face the Slytherin Seeker, and waiting for his mate to quiet down with condescending blinks of his blue eyes. A platter of scrambled eggs and sausages appeared on the Slytherin table, and Theo turned to the abundant buffet, promptly filling his plate with an ample portion before offering to replenish Draco's.

"Look at Weasley over there, she holds Potter by his family jewels. She has since our second year, but he was too stupid to realize it until a couple of years ago. Observe how she toys with him." Theo quirked an eyebrow and pointed at Potter with his fork, eggs falling from the silvery teeth of the utensil.

Not entirely convinced, Draco moved his eyes to the Gryffindor table again. He skipped over Granger and the Weasel King, setting his gaze on Weaslette and Potter. She was running a puppet show, and Potter made a perfect marionette. Ginny moved her cascade of burgundy hair from her shoulder, batting her lashes and sticking her chest out so that Potter could see the swells of her breasts under her Quidditch jersey. Meanwhile, Potter was enraptured by her tantalizing movements, following every sway of her body with a dumb expression and his mouth agape. Theo was right, but that didn't prove his theory.

"Okay, how is Granger smarter than me?" Draco bit a piece of sausage that he had picked up with his fingers, disregarding all that Narcissa ever taught him on good manners.

Theo chuckled before answering, "Beside the fact that she has better notes than you?"

With a low growling sound, Draco gave him his two fingers while glaring at him.

Cutting a piece of food, Theo glanced at Hermione. "Granger is better than you at hiding the fact that she's head over heels for you." He chortled when Draco's jaw fell open. "She's not that good though… she always _accidentally _walks along the Quidditch pitch when Slytherin is practising, she sits right behind you during class - probably trying to smell your cologne - and she's been glancing this way since you sat down."

Draco's heart was fluttering as fast as a Snitch's wings, and his eyes instinctively darted to Hermione. Right at that moment, she was bringing a spoonful of chocolate pudding - Draco's favourite sweet - to her beautifully plump lips. His gaze followed the silver spoon as it slid in and out of her mouth. Feeling his neck flushing, he grabbed his goblet in an attempt to distract himself before the blush reached his face. He lifted the cup to his lips, eyes not leaving glued to the witch. Granger's ambery irises met his own as she licked the back of the spoon clean, tongue lapping at the smooth surface. He gulped, quickly averting his eyes. The liquid in his mouth hit his throat as he inhaled sharply and it went down the wrong way, causing him to cough and sputter dark splatters all over the table cloth. He wondered what he had been drinking. He couldn't remember.

Theo barked out a laugh so hard that his eyes begun to water, clearly enjoying how Draco was making a fool out of himself. "Mate, you are so bloody obvious. At least you know you have a chance now!"

Draco cleared his throat, cleaning the mess he had made with a silent Vanishing Spell. "Are you sure Granger is after me?" For good measure and not to make Theo believe that he was fishing for more information, he added, "Do you think you are smarter than me… and Granger?"

Fixing his lapels to hide the traces of Luna's love bites, Theo stood and shook his head. "Salazar! Yes, and nope," he said while taking a couple of steps away from the bench. Turning his hand to face Draco, he shrugged. "I just told you that women are smarter and I meant it. Luna told me. She's way more clever than anybody I know. Even brighter than you and Granger combined." Then, Theo sighed, and his face grew serious. "Now, you get that Snitch!"

Draco smiled to his friend as he understood what was implied. Theo faced away again. "Go Slytherin!" he shouted, while waving goodbye behind his head.

The Slytherin Seeker's eyes followed his Housemate as he reached the Gryffindor table, and immediately started a conversation with Granger and Potter. Looking at the welcoming faces of the Gryffindor students, Draco envied the way Theo could easily fit into any kind of crowd, but also reminded himself that Theo had never wronged anybody.

Swallowing his last bite of eggs and sausages, Draco grabbed his brand-new Nimbus 2002 and leapt off the bench, determined to walk in front of the adversary team and, of course, Granger.

Somehow he felt invigorated by Theo's words, a jolt of renewed energy sizzling in his veins. The witch fancied him, and he was going to finally make a move on her. With a proud swagger and his hands hanging from the broom on his shoulders, he pranced around the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables and set his course for the Great Hall's enormous entrance. Feeling Hermione's eyes on him, he canted his head to face her and winked at her. It was her turn to choke on her drink - black coffee with two sugars, he guessed.

A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips.


End file.
